But when something isn’t quite right bikes do tend to let you know, mainly by noise. A click or a creak here and there usually indicates that something isn’t quite right or not working as it should be. Sometimes it can be a simple fix, other times it requires more serious surgery.

Recently, both my road and mountain bikes have been complaining and between riding, crashing and writing I may be slightly guilty of neglecting them. Last week I went out for a short trip on my road bike; I didn’t notice the noise it was making due to the fact that I had some music playing. It was only because one track had a long quiet intro that I noticed the horrid noise of the dry drivetrain.

It didn’t ruin the ride, just made me feel a little self-conscious as I went past other cyclists with a lot of noise coming from my bike when pedalling. Never mind. At least that was an easy fix; a quick wipe down with a rag, a bit of degreaser and some lube applied to the chain was all it needed.

A similar thing happened when I was out on the mountain bike. I was cycling along, happy as can be when I started to hear clicking and creaking noises. After a bit of playing around to see if I could narrow down what might be causing the noises. I managed to work out that the creaking was coming from my saddle, as it only happened when I went over bumps sitting down. The clicking noise was occurring only when I was pedalling and putting pressure through the right pedal.

The creaking saddle was fixed by taking it off the bike, cleaning the mud caked components holding the saddle onto the seat post and putting it back together again. Simple. The clicking, however, has not been rectified. I did quickly remove, clean and replace the pedals, applying a bit of grease to the threads, before my last ride but it hasn’t helped. There is still a clicking noise when the right pedal is under pressure. I think a little more investigating is required.

When I figure out where this clicking is coming from I’ll let you know. Either way, both of those issues were relatively simple fixes. I’ve been out on a ride and come across some slightly more difficult issues such as buckled wheels, snapped chains, and broken mech hangers. That last one was fun.

Until next time.

Jack

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Published by Jack Akehurst

Hi, I'm passionate about all things cycling. I've become interested in writing and I've started this blog as a way to share my hobby, experiences and enjoyment that comes from riding two wheels.
View all posts by Jack Akehurst

Chain ring bolts are a good shout. Both the bolt throughs are tight. To be honest, it’s due for a bit of an overhaul and I plan to take it all apart including suspension linkages, clean it and put it all back together.